Licensquestions on GNU Software.

[Alexandre Oliva]

On Jun 24, 2003, Nathan Sidwell <nathan@codesourcery.com> wrote:

>> If I install a GCC-crosscompilator in a Cygwin-environment
>> to compilate and link a proprietary software will this
>> compilated software change from proprietary to
>> "free software".
>> I am using free tools under GPL to compilate and link
>> a proprietary software.

> That is fine.

Not that fast.  Even though GCC doesn't propagate freedom to programs
it compiles, not even by means of libgcc and its other run-time
libraries, because of the run-time exception to their licenses, the
Cygwin run-time library has no such run-time exception, i.e., it's
strictly GPL, and therefore any executable linked with the Cygwin
library could be considered a derived work, and therefore be subject
to the rules imposed by the GNU GPL on derived works, namely, being
covered by the GNU GPL as well.  The copyright holders of Cygwin may
license it to you under different licenses, though.

#include <stdIANAL.h> :-D

-- 
Alexandre Oliva   Enjoy Guarana', see http://www.ic.unicamp.br/~oliva/
Red Hat GCC Developer                 aoliva@{redhat.com, gcc.gnu.org}
CS PhD student at IC-Unicamp        oliva@{lsd.ic.unicamp.br, gnu.org}
Free Software Evangelist                Professional serial bug killer